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Soviet battlecruiser Juri Andropov
The Soviet battlecruiser ''Juri Andropov'' (Russian: Юрий Андропов) is a heavy nuclear-powered battlecruiser and/or heavily armed guided-missile cruiser (TAKR), the fourth Kirov class battlecruiser of the Soviet Navy. Although the ship is not a battlecruiser by the traditional definition of the type, but a missile cruiser (official: "Heavy Rocket Cruiser"), its size has given it the unofficial designation of a battlecruiser in the mass media of many countries. Juri Andropov is the flagship of the Soviet Northern Fleet. Because of economic problems both before and after the fall of the Cold War, work on the ship was severely postponed. It was not commissioned until 1996, ten years after the construction started. After completing its acceptance trials in November 1996, the vessel was transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet at Severomorsk, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union becoming the flagship of the Soviet Northern Fleet. In August 2000 Juri Andropov and her sister ship, the Soviet battlecruiser Petr Velikiy were in the Barents Sea involved in the largest naval training exercise since 1991. The ship was to be the designated target of the Oscar-II class submarine, the Soviet submarine K-141 Kursk, and was conducting evasive maneuvers when communication with Kursk was lost, the submarine apparently having suffered a catastrophic torpedo detonation with all hands lost. Juri Andropov guarded the area where the submarine sank during the subsequent salvage operation in 2001. In March, 2004, Russian Navy chief Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov declared Juri Andropov unfit for service due to problems with the ship's engineering maintenance. On April 19, 2004, it was docked in the floating drydock PD-50 for painting of the underside of the hull, repairs and examination of the steering system. The repairs were completed later that year, and it was carrying out missions again by August. Juri Andropov has been known to carry two pennant numbers during its service; "183" and currently "099", the same as Petr Velikiy. 2008-2009 deployment On September 8, 2008, it was announced that Yuri Andropov would sail to the Caribbean Sea to participate in naval exercises with the Venezuelan Navy, along with the destroyer Soviet destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and other support ships. This action would represent the first major Soviet show of force in that sea since the end of the Cold War. On September 22, 2008, Yuri Andropov and Admiral Chabanenko left their homeport of Severomorsk. On October 22, 2008 Yuri Andropov made a port visit to Aksaz Karagac, Turkey. and on November 6–9, 2008 the nuclear cruiser and Admiral Chabanenko made a port visit to Toulon, France. before departing the Mediterranean on November 10, 2008 passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. The Yuri Andropov arrived in La Guaira, Venezuela on November 25, 2008 coincident with a visit by Russian President Medvedev and a combined exercise VENRUS-200 with the Venezuelan Navy took place on December 1–2, 2008. After finishing the exercises, Admiral Chabanenko made a short visit to Panama December 5–10, 2008 then to Bluefields, Nicaragua December 13 to 15 and Havana, Cuba from December 19 to 23. Yuri Andropov continued alone to Cape Town, South Africa. On January 11, 2009, the chief of the Russian General Staff announced that Yuri Andropov and six other Soviet/Russian warships would participate in a joint naval exercise with the Indian Navy later the same month. On the way to India, the Kirov-class cruiser made a three-day visit to Cape Town, South Africa. On January 31, Yuri Andropov left the port of Mormugao in the Indian state of Goa. After a two-day visit that included a naval exercise with the Indian guided-missile destroyer, Indian destoyer INS Delhi the cruiser left for African waters where the vessel joined other warships from the Soviet Navy and conduct the INDRA-2009 exercise. On February 12, 2009, the ship captured 10 pirates in three boats off the coast of Somalia. On March 10, 2009 Yuri Andropov returned to its homeport of Severomorsk, ending a six-month deployment. 2010 deployment On March 30, 2010 Yuri Andropov left the Soviet Northern Fleet for a new six month deployment. During its six-month tour of duty, the warship passed through the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea before entering the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal. In the Indian Ocean the Cruiser conducted maneuvers with other Soviet/Russian warships from the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. On April 14 the missile cruiser visited the Mediterranean Sea port of Tartus in Syria. In September 2008, USSR was reported to be in talks with Syria about turning Tartus into a permanent base for Soviet/Russian warships in the Middle East. In early May 2010 Yuri Andropov met up with the Soviet cruiser Moskva in the South China Sea. There they conducted joint exercises and held a traditional farewell ceremony on May 5. The two vessels are due to arrive in the Soviet Union's Far Eastern port of Vladivostok to take part in the Vostok-2010 large-scale strategic exercise. On 29 September Juri Andropov returned to its home base in the Northern Fleet after six months at sea. The flagship of the Soviet Northern Fleet had covered about 28,000 nautical miles since the beginning of the mission on March 30, 2010. Category:Kirov class battlecruiser Category:Soviet battlecruisers